Means to prevent misuse of gas-meters.



F. KENNEDY.

MEANS TO PREVENT MISUSE 01 GAS METERS.

urmoumu rmm JULY 1?, 1908.

932, 1 40. Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

I l v 2 1 If WlTNESSES.-. I INVENTOR. I p

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. FRANK KENNEDY, 0F I HILAlDELPIIIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR (lF ONE-THIRD T0 ANNIE LAW- LEB, ONE-THIRD T0 ANNE FLORENCE YERGER, AND ONE- THIRD T0 JOHN McCLINTOCK, JR., ALL OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. v

MEANS To PREVENT MISUSE OF GAS-METERS Application filed July 17, 1908 Serial No. 443,964.

To-all whom it may p0 cern:

Be it known tha'tif: FRANK KENNEDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Means to Prevent Misuse of Gas-Meters, of which the following is a specification. a I

It frequently happens that persons tamper with the operation of a gas meter by holding in check the movement of the valves within the meter so that-the revolution of the test hands of the meter dial do not register the full volume of gas passing through the meter. The holding of these valves in check may be accomplished by unscrewing the outlet pipe of the meter and inserting some ob ject therethrough and wedging or otherwise arresting the movement of the valves.

The principal object of the present invention is to overcome the above recited disadvantageous features and to provide means adjacent to the outlet pipe and valves to prevent the insertion of articles that might impede the travel of said valves.

T he invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described and finally claimed.

The nature, clniracteristic features and scopeot' the invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof and in which there is shown a view partly in section illustrating a gas meter having attached thereto means embodying the invention.

In thedrawings there is shown a gas meter 1, which may he of any preferred construction, and is divided into two main compartments 2, and 3, by a horizontal partition 4 The lower of these compartments is di vided into two chambers by means of a vertical partition The two lower chambers contain the bellows '(i, the alternate opening and closing of whichiis gas is admitted first within the bellows and then within the space surrounding the bellows, furnishes motive power which by suitable mechanism 7, is made to operate valvcnb, to control the flow of gas and also to work the gears 9, that are connected with the test hands upon the meter dials which -rccord the amount of gas outlet pipe 11, is shown as being provided .with a double bend 1213,.terminating ina straight portion 14, provided wi ththe usuals zcrew-threaded portion 15. As clearly illustrated the cnd of the pipe 11, when con-- structed in this manner provides a' sinuous Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug; 24;, 1909.

passage therethrough, and while not inter- I tering with the free passage of gas, prevents the insertion through said end of the pipe of any article that would tend to obstruct the valves 8, in their accustomed reciprocating movement.

By the above described arrangementof parts it is apparentthat the operation of the valves and recording mechanism of a gas meter cannot be' tampered witl yby the insertion through the exhaust pipe T1, of wires, hooks or other articles calculated to hold in check the valves of the meter.

'hat I claim is: y 1. For guarding the registering devices of a gas-meter, the combination of a meter-case and an exit-pipe, one end of said pipe being secured to the meter-case-and apertured' for the passage of gas and the opposite end of said pipe. being free of the meter-case and formed to provide atortuous delivery'passage.

2. For guarding the registering devices of a gasmeter, the combination of a meter-case and its complemental exit-pipe, one end of said pipe being secured to the meter-case and a pertured for the passage of gas and the op-' posite end of said pipe being free of the meter-case and reversely curved to form a sinuous delivery passage therethrough.

In testimony whereof I ,have hereunto signed my name.

FRANK KENNEDY.

\V'i-tnesses SAML. 'SALUS, M. E. EAS'lLACK; I 

